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Map: Ontario and Quebec Have Swung from Dry to Wet

After an abnormally dry spring, Ontario and Quebec have received significant precipitation over the past 30 days. Although the rain was welcome when it began in early June, some farmers are now wondering if they are getting too much of a good thing!

As can be seen on the map below, almost all the major cropping regions of Ontario and Quebec have received above-average rainfall over the past 30 days. Some areas around Windsor, north of Toronto and around Montreal have gotten twice as much rain as normal.

Although the precipitation has helped to recharge soil moisture levels, it has already created some concern about fungal diseases in soybeans, according to last week’s crop update from OMAFRA. There are reports of some fields of corn and wheat getting excessive rain as well.

For farmers watching their winter wheat ripen, a window of drier weather for harvest would be welcome soon. That currently seems unlikely though, with the 14-day weather forecast allowing for regular rains.

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.